The Evolution of Automated Safety Technologies
Driver assistance technologies in today’s motor vehicles are already helping to save lives and prevent injuries.
A number of today’s new motor vehicles have technology that helps drivers avoid drifting into adjacent lanes or making unsafe lane changes, or that warns drivers of other vehicles behind them when they are backing up, or that brakes automatically if a vehicle ahead of them stops or slows suddenly, among other things. These and other safety technologies use a combination of hardware (sensors, cameras, and radar) and software to help vehicles identify certain safety risks so they can warn the driver to act to avoid a crash.
The continuing evolution of automotive technology aims to deliver even greater safety benefits and – one day – deliver Automated Driving Systems (ADS) that can handle the whole task of driving when we don’t want to or can’t do it ourselves.
Five Eras of Safety
1950 - 2000
Safety/Convenience Features
- Cruise Control
- Seat Belts
- Anti-lock Brakes
2000 – 2010
Advanced Safety Features
- Electronic Stability Control
- Blind Spot Detection
- Forward Collision Warning
- Lane Departure Warning
2010 – 2016
Advanced Driver Assistance Features
- Rear-view Video Systems
- Automatic Emergency Braking
- Pedestrian Automatic Emergency Braking
- Rear Automatic Emergency Braking
- Rear Cross Traffic Alert
- Lane Centering Assist
2016 - 2025
Partially Automated Safety Features
- Lane keeping assist
- Adaptive cruise control
- Traffic jam assist
- Self-park
2025+
Fully Automated Safety Features
- Highway autopilot
